Mail supplying and delivering apparatus.



Paten ted Feb. 27, I900.

v. JONES. MAIL SUPPLYING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS L (Apiulication filed.Apt. 4, 1899.)

2 sheets sheet l.

(No Model.)

m: bails PEYERS 60 w u'rmumu. wAsMmoToN n c No. 644,232. Patented Feb.27, I900.

v. A. JONES.

MAIL SUPPLYING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Apr. 4,1599. (No Mo dal.)

. x I M LlQmynmmmu 2 Sheats-Sheet 2.

on the bracket and locking-lugs.

UNITED, STATES A PATENT 01mins.

VIRGIL A. JONES, 0F WAVERLY, NEBRASKA.

MAIL SUPPLYING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forririing pm of Letters Patent 1%. 644,232, datedFebruary 27,1906. Application filed A ril 4, 1899. Serial No. 7i1,es7.(No model.)

To aZZ whom it maycmccern:

Be it'known that I, VIRGIL A. JONES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Waverly, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska,have invented a new and useful Mail Supplying and Delivering Apparatus,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for discharging mail-matter fromand supplying the same to a moving railway car; and the object of theinvention is to provide an efiective and positively-operable applianceof the character specified which is adapted for performing theabove-named functions with rapidity and accuracy.

The apparatus includes in its construction a crane which carries pouchtransmitting and receiving mechanisms, while the car is equipped withsimilar means, so that bags can be discharged from or taken onto trainsWhile the same are rapidly moving, and it will be evident that in thiscase the necessity of manually discharging the bags is avoided, as whenthey are thrown off by hand they are apt to lodge in mud and snow andare occasionally lost or destroyed.

lVith these ends in view the invention consists in the novel combinationof elements and in the construction and arrangement of parts, which willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated thepreferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective viewof my apparatus and the position occupied by the car just prior to thedelivery of a bag from said car to the crane and the receipt of a bag bythe car from the crane. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one ofthe discharging-posts Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of thecrane-post and the arm. Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in section, online 4 4 of Fig. 8. Fig. 5 is a plan View, partly in section, on theline 5 5 of Fig. 3, showing the arm turned back and the pin in position.

Like characters denote like and correspond ing parts in each of theseveral figures of the drawings.

The apparatus includes in its construction a crane, which may be ofanysuitable character, but which is represented as consisting of twouprights or posts 2, vertically disposed and connected and braced atsuitable intervals by cross-beams 3, and the crane, which is designatedfor convenience by A, is mounted at one side of the railway-track whenused in connection with a single-track system, or between the trackswhen used in connection with a double system, although the apparatusillustrated is intended primarily for use in connection with the former.

The car is denoted by B, and it has an open= ing 4 in its side throughwhich the pouches are passed.

The posts 2 support at suitable points in their height the alined arms5, supported for swinging movement thereby and movable about verticalaxes and having means for catching pouches from a moving car, one armbeing adapted to receive the pouch from the car when the latter istraveling in one direction, while the other arm is adapted to receive abag from the car when it is traveling in the other direction, and itwill be apparent that only one of these arms is employed at a time, thearm which is not in use being swung around to the rear of the frame andlocked. The arms are curved, as at 6, at their inner ends, and thecurved surfaces fit against the bearing-rings 7 upon the posts 2, andthe rings are partially surrounded by straps 8, curved to fit againstthe bearing-rings and having their opposite ends secured in somesuitable manner to the opposite faces of the horizontal swingingpouch-catching arms 5.

The arms 5 are locked in their rearward positions and at approximatelyright angles when not in use by means of pins, as at 9, adapted to bethrust into registering openings in the straps 8 and bearing-rings 7,respectively, and one of these arms is shown in its inefiectiveposition. The pins 9 have eyes to receive the chains 10, which in turnare united to the opposite sides of the frame and prevent the pins beinglost.

The arms 5 are supported near their inner ends upon the disks 12,secured to the posts 2 at substantially their middles.

The straps 8, to which I have hereinbefore referred, are each bentoutwardly, as at 13,

and then inwardly, as at 14, and these inwardly-bent portions 14 aresecured to the outer edges of the arms 5 and project beyond the same, asat 15, and the projecting portions in turn have" L-shaped bends 16fitting against the arms, and this organization furnishes a strongstructure.

As heretofore stated, the arms 5 are alternately eifective,and they arepositively locked in their ineffective positions and out of the way oftrains, and they are adapted to catch pouches from the car B, which isequipped with transmitting or discharging means cooperative with the twobag-receivers.

.The arms carry pouch receiving and holding hooks 17, between thebranches 17 and 17" of which the pouches are thrust, and these hooks aresecured to the straps 8 by means of staples or otherwise, while thebranches or arms 17 are flared outward to a considerable extent toinsure the proper guidance of the pouches between the same and thecomplemental branches. The inner branches 17 are provided withlongitudinal springs 18, adapted to bear against the bag when the sameis received by the hook, thereby to hold said bag against dislodgment.

The arms are held yieldingly in their bagreceiving position, so thatthey can give slightly, and the pressure will be sufficient to hold thearms in their effective positions and against the action of the wind orthe suction caused by the moving train, and for this purpose I mountupon the arms yielding looking devices, such as spring-pawls, adapted toengage catches on the crane, and in Fig. 1 one of these arms is shown asbeing in a position to receive a pouch. To the sides of the arms Isecure the spring-pawls 19, disposed, respectively, at angles theretoand having teeth 20 at their free ends to engage between the projections21 on the rings 22, surrounding the posts at points above the swingingarms, and.- the adjacent faces of the projections 21 are oppositelybeveled, so as to permit proper lateral movement of the swinging arms asoccasion requires.

The car B carries at'opposite sides of the door-openin g 4 the verticallongitudinally-reci'procative posts 23, constituting elements .of thebag-discharging mechanism, and these posts have rounded ends24,slidable. in correspondingly-shaped openings in the brackets 25, whichextend outward from the car, andthese posts cooperate, respectively,with the arms 5, one of them being adapted to thrust a pouch into one ofsaid arms when the car is traveling in one direction and vice versa whensaid car is traveling in the other direction. These posts are providednear their opposite ends with the arms 26,between which the bag iscarried, the rings of the bags being hooked over the plates orextensions 27, pivoted to the arms 26, and the rings being secured inplace by the spring-fiingers 28, secured, respectively, to the upper andlower sides. The resistance caused by the bag striking one of the hooks17 will of course disconnect said bag from the plates 27, the pressureexerted by the spring-fingers 28 being comparatively slight.

Means are provided for locking the posts 23, so that the arms 26 thereonwill be disposed at right angles to the car, and such means consists,respectively, of cooperating lugs 29 and 30, secured, respectively, tothe lower ends of the rotative post and to the adjacent brackets, andthe upper lugs 29 are of angular shape to fit in correspondingly-shapedpockets 31 of the lower lugs, so as to lock the arms in theirbag-discharging positions, and it will be understood that only one ofthese bag-discharging mechanisms is in use at a time, the other beingswung out of position.

When a bag-discharging device is in its active posi-tion,'the beveledlug 29 will be fitted within the corresponding seat in the lower lug 30,and when the bag is discharged the post 23 will be turned, causing thebeveled lug to ride up that inclined face of its pocket farthest fromthe door-opening, which results in slightly elevating the post. When thelug passes out of the pocket, it is adapted to ride down either one ofthe oppositely-inclined faces 32, the same. result following withrespect to the other bag-discharging device, and it will be evident thatthe lugs 29 are adapted to ride downthe inclined faces32 by gravity. Thelower lugs present, in effect, two teeth or projections, the faces ofwhich serve to lockthe posts 23 in their two extreme and intermediatepositions.

When the bags are removed, the shock resulting is reduced by butters 33,secured to the side of the car upon each side'of the opening 4 and inposition to bestruck by thelower arms 26 on the posts.

The door-opening is crossed by the bar 34:, located at a convenientpoint in its height and provided with the reversible hook 35, offamiliarconstruction, adapted to take mailpouches from dischargeinstrumentalities lo cated at opposite sides of the crane.

The mail-bag-catching arms 5 are disposed between superposed arms-36 and37, pivotally mounted upon the posts of the crane and adapted to supporta bag andmovable about horizontal axes and each adapted to drop into ian ineffective position when the bag is removed from them. The lowerarms 36 are pivotally supported between the plates 38, secured to andextending from the posts 2 below the disks 12, and the upper arms 37 aresupported between the rear branches or arms of the. forked plates 39,disposed in pairs and secured to the upper ends of said posts 2, andthese upper arms are provided with counterweights 40, adapted to elevatethe bag-supporting arms when the bag is removed. The arms 36 and 37areprovided with pivoted plates or extensions 41 over which therings at theends of a mail-bag are hooked, the rings being held thereon byspring-fingers 42. Each of the pairs of arms is adapted to support a bagand which is taken therefrom by the reversible hook 35 on the car, andprior to this operation a bag will be discharged from the car and willbe received by one of the arms.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details ofconstruction Within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof this invention.

Having thus described the in vention, what I claim is 1. The combinationwith a car and with a crane, of bag supplying and receiving devicescarried respectively by the car and by the crane, a spring-pawl on thebag-receiving device, and a catch on the crane adapted to be engaged bysaid spring-pawl, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a car and with a crane, of bag supplying andreceiving devices carried respectively by the car and by the crane, twoprojections secured to the crane, and a spring-pawl fixed to saidbag-receiving device and provided with a tooth adapted to engage betweensaid projections, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a car and with a crane, of bag supplying andreceiving devices carried' respectively by the car and by the crane, aring secured to the crane above said bag-receiving device and providedwith two teeth the faces of which are beveled, and a spring-pawl securedto the bag-receiving device and provided with a tooth adapted to engagebetween said projections, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a car and with a crane, of bag supplying andreceiving devices carried respectively by the car and by the crane,means for holding the bag-receiving device yieldingly in its effectiveposition, and a spring-arm on said receiving device having a frictionalengagement with the crane for holding said device in its operativeposition, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a car and with a crane, of bag-supplying devicescarried re spectively by the car and by the crane, means for holding thebag-receiving device yieldingly in its effective position, a pin adaptedto engage in an openingin said bag-receiving device, and a chain on thecrane to which said pin is connected, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a car and with a crane, of a bag-supplyingdevice on the car, a swinging arm on the crane, a strap secured to saidarm and having an angular portion and an inwardly-bent portion securedto the outer end of said arm, a bearing on the crane upon which said armand strap fit, a hook secured to the inwardly-bent portion of saidstrap, and a bag-holding spring secured to one of the branches of thehook, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a car and With a crane, of bag supplying andreceivin devices carried respectively by the car an by the crane, saidbag-supplying device including a longitudinally-reciprocative, rotativepost,- two projections with reversely-inclined sides,- and a singleprojection on said post adapted to fit between said first-mentionedprojections and having reversely-inclined sides which cooperatetherewith, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a car and with a crane, of bag supplying andreceiving devices carried respectively by the car and by the crane, saidbag=supplying device includinga longitudinal reciprocative, rotativepost, alug having a beveled pocket with reversely-in clined sides, and abeveled lug on said post adapted to fit in said pocket, and providedwith reversely -inclined sides which cooperate therewith, substantiallyas described.

9. The combination with a car and with a frame, of bag supplying andreceiving devices carried respectively by the car and by the crane, saidbag-supplying device including a longitudinally-reciprocative, rotativepost provided with arms between which a bag can be supported, bearingsfor said post, a lug secured to the post, a cooperating lug on one ofsaid bearings having a pocket to receive said first-mentioned lug andalso having inclined faces, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

VIRGIL A. JONES.

Witnesses:

JONATHAN REITZ, JOHN G. ELLENWOOD.

